


The Bull's Dilemma

by TapuKokoa



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff, I am soft for their captain too, M/M, Team as Family, Tiny bit of Angst, but overall fluff, the Black Bulls being the Black Bulls, the Golden Dawn members are soft for their captain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TapuKokoa/pseuds/TapuKokoa
Summary: William Vangeance's birthday is only a few hours away and Yami has no idea what he should get him, so he decides to break into the Golden Dawn's headquarters.
Relationships: Yami Sukehiro/William Vangeance
Comments: 48
Kudos: 126





	1. The reason

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ~  
> This time I decided to focus more on the fluff (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡  
> The story takes place before Eye of the Midnight Sun first attacked. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

December 23. 

It was that time of year again. 

The Clover Kingdom attired itself entirely in white, announcing the presence of winter, and the citizens began to make preparations for the festivities. People wandering around the capital were dressed from head to toe in huge coats and at least one gaudy decoration could be found hanging from each wall; green, red, white and gold colors predominating. The smell of ginger in cookies covered practically all of the market area and children had snow fights in the middle of the streets; any ice or snow magic user became the "king" during these days. 

When Finral found out that he could spend that day with total freedom, he didn't hesitate for a second to immediately head out to the Capital; it was a cheerful, colorful and perfect environment for creating a romantic setting with a pretty girl. However, due to the fact that he had been designated as the captain's official "taxi", his illusions and hopes were interrupted by a sudden request from the dark magician. 

Thus, with resignation, Finral Roulcase ended up in front of the Golden Dawn's headquarters behind the enormous figure of his captain, who hadn't moved for some minutes by now. If Finral was honest, he had the feeling that something was tormenting Yami's mind because he had remained disturbingly quiet, as if he was scheming something evil. 

_Did he had a fight with Captain Vangeance?_

_Does anyone owe him money?_

_Did he come to sabotage them?_

Theories and theories were accumulating in Finral's mind as he sensed the terrifying aura coming from the foreigner, yet he didn't dare to ask directly, fully aware that doing it meant a certain death, so he better chose to pretend that he didn't suspect anything. 

"So, captain, what time should I come back?" 

The aforementioned captain started to whisper things in the background without even looking back. By that point, Finral began to believe that he was trying to summon a demon. 

"Don't come back for me, it'll probably take a while. 

A sudden response, but not an unwelcomed one. That meant Finral would be free for the rest of the day.

"O-oh. Got it!"

Although the space magician would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious.

_What the hell is he going to do? I hope that whatever it is, doesn't end up with Langris wanting to get back at me in some way._

"How long do ya' plan on standing there?" The captain interrupted, showing him one of his typical mocking smiles. "Or do ya' want to join in too?"

Apparently Yami was getting back to normal. Perhaps he'd realized that he was scaring Finral... more than usual.  
Either way, the brown haired young man had already decided that he'd rather stay out of it, avoiding getting involved with whatever his captain was planning. 

"No, no, no! Go ahead!" 

If a disaster occurred, he'd at least live to tell the next generation the story of Yami Sukehiro, the man that went from captain to criminal in matter of seconds. 

"Greetings to Captain Vang-"

The name hadn't even been completely said and the foreigner's menacing look was already on his face. 

"Time to go meet girls!" Finral exclaimed, attempting to avoid feeding Yami's mood even more. So he finally created a portal to the Capital and departed through it. 

All that remained now was to pray for the members of the Golden Dawn.

⠈⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄

After Finral left, Yami faced the entrance of the place again, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette. 

The real reason he'd brought such an intimidating face with him was because he had spent hours from his sleep trying to think of a suitable gift for William Vangeance, the captain of Golden Dawn.

Some years ago, William began to give him details even without having a specific celebration as a reason to do it. Invitations to eat, a bottle of his favorite drink, some snacks; Yami accepted everything without thinking much about the suddenness of the situation. He admitted that it was strange and adorable at the same time, because every gift had to do with things that really connected with him; It was obvious that the other captain paid attention to his tastes and interests, and that was enough to soften the Bull's rock hard heart. 

He'd already tried to question the masked man about his reasons, but William just kept flashing his typical mysterious smile and said:

_"There is no particular reason."_

Although Yami didn't consider himself the thoughtful type he wanted to return the favor to the other captain, so he decided that every time that William's birthday fell he'd come to visit him and deliver his "thank you" gift. Usually, the foreigner would give the other man objects related to his country, or simply something that when he laid eyes on it, reminded him of the captain. 

Five years went by in that way and it had already become some kind of tradition between them; always at the same time, in the same place. Although William always told him that it wasn't necessary to return the detail, Yami assured that it wasn't simply a matter of getting even. And it was true, the masked man's smile every time he received a gift from the foreigner was worth it all. Besides, there was much more to these shared moments; they ended up becoming something Yami expected with anticipation. Just by spending the last hours of William's birthday in his company, the two of them, taking a break from everything that went by during the year, was enough; there was something about William's presence that felt relaxing. It slowly became intimate and precious. 

This year, however, was different. The end of the year was approaching and as time passed, Vangeance's ki began to feel strange. It was as if he was suffering internally, holding on to whatever it was that put him in a state of disturbance. Even if he always showed up with the same stoic smile, Yami knew something wasn't right; he didn't want to stick his nose into things that didn't concern him, but neither did he find peace of mind in knowing that William was possibly going through something alone. 

It was then that, realizing that the masked man's birthday was approaching, Yami found the perfect opportunity to try to communicate to his rival the message that he cared. The Black Bull was not at all good with emotions, nor did he see himself as a squishy teddy bear to let go of sorrows, so he finally came to the conclusion that a good gift could convey his intentions. What he didn't know was that the more he tried to think of something, the more it seemed impossible to come up with an answer, added to the fact that it felt weird for him to be thinking so much about such things.

He'd thought of giving William a bonsai. In fact, the first time he was going to give him a gift that was his very first choice. It was something that had William Vangeance's name engraved all over it. However, for that very reason it also seemed as a very obvious and unnecessary choice; William could create trees with extraordinary properties himself, he didn't need one more to the collection, so that idea was left aside. The problem was that by discarding that option, Yami was left completely empty of options because all of his best ideas were already spent. All of his attempts to come up with the perfect gift ended up with the walls of the Black Bulls' base destroyed. If it were any other year, he might have given the masked man some pajamas with printed sheeps, a basket of fruits, or an alarm clock customized with Asta's screams... well, maybe not that one. 

Taking count of his failed attempts, Yami finally made the decision to consult others, which brings us back to the present at the headquarters of the Golden Dawn. 

His objective wasn't really to see William. In fact, he'd come at precisely that hour because he knew that the other captain had been called for a meeting with the Wizard King. It was the perfect time to conduct his plan with complete freedom. 

_Time to get the information out of your brats._

He thought as he approached the entrance, catching the surprised look of the two members currently guarding the huge door.

_What is the captain of the Black Bulls doing here?_ One of them thought.

"Hey, ya' there!" exclaimed the muscular man.

Perhaps it was the roughness in Yami's voice, or the fact that he'd appeared out of nowhere at their base, but the guard who had been pointed out by the foreigner couldn't help the small cry of surprise that came out of his mouth. 

"Yes, sir?"

"Who's the closest to Vangeance here?"

The two guards looked at each other, confused. 

"C-closest? To the captain?" answered the same guard. 

"Do ya' need your ears washed?"

"N-no, sir. Well, if you ask me, I'd say those would be Vice-captain Langris and Alecdora..."

Great, just the names he didn't want to hear.

"Shit." 

That was the only answer the captain gave without offering any further explanation. The guards opened the door and just watched as the Black Bull went ahead on his way, entering the base and whispering unintelligible things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Chapter 2 will be up next Friday ✿


	2. The Golden Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! ☆ 
> 
> This chapter focuses on Yami interacting with the Golden Dawn. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it ~ (b ᵔ ▽ᵔ)b

"Psst! Letoile!" A blond boy moved his comrade's arm to get her attention as they walked through the squad base. 

"What's going on, David?" replied the girl with green hair and glasses, looking at him suspiciously. "I'm not going to join you into making bets with your dice, if that's what you're thinking..." 

The boy immediately shook his head repeatedly perhaps with too much energy. Something seemed to make him more exalted than usual.

"No, it's not that! Look who's there!"

The young woman sighed and looked at where David's finger was pointing. 

Realizing who the person in front of them was they quickly looked for a place to hide. 

"Why did the Black Bull's captain suddenly appeared here?" the blond man asked trying to keep his voice low. "Captain Vangeance didn't tell us anything about this."

The foreigner walked calmly, but his eyes scanned every corner he passed as if he were looking for something. 

"Maybe he came to talk to him about something important, we should let him know that he isn't here." Letoile proposed, trying to remain the voice of reason but David reacted instantly to that. 

"Are you kidding me?! If we tell him he's not here, he's going to get angry! They say that if you get Yami Sukehiro into a bad mood, you won't live to talk about it..." At the mere thought of it, his body trembled with fear. 

But the girl just rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure that if it were true, half of the kingdom would be gone." Maybe it was an exaggeration, but you never knew when it came to a figure as imposing as Yami Sukehiro. "Where did your usual enthusiasm went?" she added with a small smile. 

They continued studying the Black Bull for a few more seconds; he'd stopped his steps and now was just letting out puffs of smoke with his gaze lost in the sky. 

The fact that he'd appeared without warning left them puzzled, but they knew they couldn't stay hidden forever. Their captain wouldn't like them to be rude to visitors let alone guide their own actions based on prejudice. 

Finally, the two exchanged a determined look and nodded at the same time, setting their steps in the direction of the captain.  
However, they didn't count on Yami facing them immediately after coming out of their hiding spot.

"It's just about time for ya' to come out." He said to the perplexed looks of the two younger magic knights. 

Yami really didn't have much knowledge about the members of Golden Dawn except for the three who always seemed to be attached to Asta when they encountered him, and two others whose names he'd rather not remember at the time. It was almost never necessary to personally interact with them when he went to their base, and if he had to, it was just for formal matters. 

Perhaps it was a good time to get acquainted with more members of this squad; after all, they belonged to the his rival's order, the one that had been created at the same time as his. 

"Can he predict the future or see behind the walls?" David whispered to his companion as they approached, though, as always, his tone of voice was anything but subtle. 

"David!" She scolded him trying to be more discreet, but failing to do so anyway. 

That scene caused Yami to start smiling; perhaps not all members of The Golden Dawn were so proper after all. 

"Good morning, Captain." The girl began. "My name is Letoile Becquerel and my partner here is David Swallow." The young man smiled and raised a hand to greet him. 

Yami returned the gesture of greeting and looked at them for a few moments. A green haired girl with a ponytail, owner of a very calculating and serious look; and next to her, a young blond man with a medium cut whose smile was widening more and more as time passed: just by looking at his face, Yami knew that this was one of those who could start a party in the middle of a mission. 

"You are the captain of the Black Bulls, aren't you?" the girls asked. "Captain Vangeance isn't here right now but if you need him we can make the notification that you came. Or if you prefer to wait, we have a-"

"S' not necessary." 

_Huh?_ Both David and Letoile thought.

After taking a look at them, Yami knew that they were the ones he needed to bring in more members who weren't so distanced from Vangeance, but not as close as one certain member that was obsessed with him. 

"In fact, I need ya' to gather more of your fellow members and bring them to me." He began explaining. "Bring in the weirdest ones, and don't draw attention to yourself." 

Silence. 

The two looked at him with their eyes open not knowing how to respond to such a request. 

It was funny seeing how people who weren't used to listen to his peculiar orders reacted to them. 

"Relax, I'm not going to cut ya' or anything!" The foreigner said laughing loudly and tapping both magicians' shoulders continuously.

Letoile seemed to be in the midst of a mental dilemma and David was slowly regaining his composure after seeing the way the captain joked with them.

"O-oh... Oh! Well, thank goodness." His smile was returning to his features. "The truth is that I was starting to think of some kind of bribe so that you wouldn't end up killing us all."

"Davi- " The girl reacted immediately to his comrade's impertinence.

But instead of getting angry the captain only increased the volume of his laugher. 

"I like ya' brat!" 

And suddenly, both men had engaged in a roar of laughter as the young woman watched with a mixture of concern and confusion. Although if she was being sincere, she was becoming more and more at ease in the presence of the Black Bull's captain; seeing her comrade interacting so freely with him made her see beyond the rumors that she was used to hear in the Capital. 

"...Okay. How many members do you need to come with us?" She asked as the laughter subsided. 

"Five or six will do." The captain replied. "And make sure that the blue-haired glasses guy's included." Yami knew how observant Klaus was. 

The magicians nodded and turned around to get on their way.

"Wait!" But they were suddenly stopped by Yami's voice. "Don't bring your demented vice-captain with ya', let alone the Sandman or I'll kill you!"

David smiled again as if he had never been threatened in his life and made an "OK" sign with his hand, while Letoile felt chills running through her body.

"Captain Vangeance was right, he isn't as intimidating as he seems," David commented as they walked some distance away from the captain. 

The girl wondered how her partner could have come to such a conclusion after hearing the last sentence spoken from the captain of the Black Bulls. She let out a sigh as an answer. 

What the hell had they gotten themselves into?

⠈⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂

At least ten minutes had passed and a small group began to approach the place where the captain was waiting. 

As soon as they spotted the person waiting for them some murmurs began to become audible. 

_What is Asta's captain doing here?_ Yuno thought, trying to remember exactly why he'd agreed with Klaus into going with him. 

Captain Yami displayed a half-sided smile. 

Quickly, Klaus stepped forward to greet the foreigner properly. "Captain Yami Sukehiro! Welcome to the order of the Golden Dawn," he said as he stood firmly before the other and lowered his head as a sign of respect.

"Ya' don't have to be so formal, Glasses." Yami replied, amused by the young man's overly appropriate personality. 

"Why did you called for us, captain?" Mimosa expressed the question that was on everyone's mind at the time but which no one had the courage to express. 

The captain looked away trying to look casual and started scratching his neck. "Well, to tell ya' the truth I need your help." He explained. "Ya' know Vangeance well, and I'm a mess when it comes to picking out gifts, so..." 

Automatically all eyes turned wide open and a small squeal of excitement was heard, possibly from Mimosa... or from David, for that matter, it could've been either one.

Meanwhile Yuno was trying to make sense of the scene unfolding before his eyes. Not only had he found it strange to see his rival's captain at the base, without the company of any of the Black Bulls, but he was also acting as he did himself when he wanted to appear uninterested in something that clearly had all of his attention. Had the captain of the Black Bulls really gone there, with such an imposing aura, to ask for advice on what to give to their captain on his birthday?

"Oh, wow, this is a surprise!" Hamon smiled, being the first one to react after the collective surprise. 

"Forgive my recklessness, sir. But don't you think it would be better to ask him directly?" Siren intervened.

"Come on! It's more interesting if it comes as a surprise!" David exclaimed resuming his role as the energetic ball of the squad. 

"It's true, the best part of it is the reaction of the person when receiving your gift." Mimosa added accompanying her words with a small chuckle.

Yami was already considering stealing both David and Mimosa to add them to his own squad. 

"Well? I want to hear ya'." He said after taking another puff of smoke from his cigarette. 

"How about a book on herbalism?" The Vermillion girl started. "The captain has a garden which he takes care of at the back of the base. I think he might like it!"

_A good choice, but I'm sure that Goldy knows all about the plants he takes cares of._

David's hand suddenly raised. 

"A pen!" He exclaimed, though he seemed to regret it after a few seconds. "No, wait. He writes a lot of reports, he may need more." He ended his proposal with a laugh.

_Not a bad idea, though on second thought... if I give Goldy so many pens he might think I'm implying that I want him to do all the work for me._

It was tempting, but it didn't go in the direction of what he wanted to convey that year. 

Klaus' throat clearing interrupted him from his thoughts. 

"A pillow. This is the fourteenth time I have found the captain sleeping on his desk. I consider healthy sleeping habits essential to the activities of the day, but I also understand that a captain's duties are heavy. With a comfortable pillow at hand, he can take naps that effectively lets him rest appropriately."

_You didn't disappoint, Glasses. But, I can already imagine the look on Marx's face if he found out that I gave Goldy a pillow to sleep on during work hours._

"Or take him out to eat at some restaurant! I know many in town that I'm sure the captain will love." Hamon proposed. 

_Of course! Who isn't happy after having their stomach filled?_

"Wait, Hamon. Don't forget that we have already prepared a banquet for the captain." Klaus intervened. 

_Fuck. ___

__"...A painting with nature themes." Siren said._ _

_Nice, but not something he'd expect from me._

__"A big blanket for the cold." Letoile proposed._ _

__He had to admit that the image of William wrapped in a giant blanket like a burrito wasn't discouraging at all._ _

_Heh. That'd be a lovely sight. But he may have too many of those..._

__"Hm." Yuno had remained silent whole time. At first Yami thought he was just ignoring everything that was going on around him, but when his gaze displayed a slight glint of decision, he knew that the boy was just thinking about it too much. "A competition. Whoever loses has to give their share of nomotatoes to the winner."_ _

_Hey, hey, you're projecting too much._

__"Well, Captain Yami, what do you think?" Letoile asked, finally manifesting a slight smile._ _

__"Not gonna to lie, ya'll have some good ideas. But none are really what I'm looking for."_ _

__Except for the food one but of course it had already been stolen. The bastards._ _

__"Do you have any particular idea in mind?" Siren asked, sensing that the dark wizard's intentions went beyond just giving William something nice._ _

__"No... I just need to think about it more." Yami responded moving a little closer to the small group in front of him and placing both hands on two heads to pat them, smiling. "Still thanks for your help, kiddos. Vangeance has good members on his team."_ _

__This brought a sense of warmth into the atmosphere. The Golden Dawn members smiled back at their eldest, who now turned around and raised his hand to bid farewell._ _

__"Ah, almost forgot." Yami stopped and turned to look at them again. As if all this time he'd had a swtich that went from "Friendly" to "Dangerous", a dark aura suddenly appeared around his entire figure. "Don't tell Vangeance about any of this or I'll kill you!"_ _

_Did he come to ask for our help or threaten us?!_ They all thought. Deep down, they knew that after all that had happened, the image they had of Yami Sukehiro wouldn't be the same. 

__

__When everyone finished saying goodbye to the captain and made sure he couldn't hear them, they all turned around to each other in confusion._ _

__"D-did the captain of the Black Bulls come here to... ask us for advice about Captain Vangeance?" Klaus asked with an expression that could be placed in between fright and sympathy._ _

__"That's very sweet." Mimosa said._ _

__"It's impossible." Yuno concluded._ _

⠈⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂ 

__Yami was walking towards the exit ready to return to his own base and spend the rest of the day thinking in the bathroom, but the sensation of someone's ki stopped him in his tracks._ _

_Is it some kind of tradition here to hide when you spot a visitor?_

__"Get out at once. Sooner or later ya' were going to do it." He sighed. He really wanted to avoid interacting with him but it was very likely that he'd find out about his presence anyway, and more so, about his reasons for being there. After all, he was William's Vangeance number one fan._ _

__"Yami Sukehiro." Alecdora Sandler's figure appeared from behind one of the trees that stood in the small courtyard, at the side of the corridor through which Yami walked. His gaze was menacing, as if he were trying to push the other away by just laying his eyes on him._ _

__"Look who's here, it's Sandman! What a pleasant surprise!" The captain didn't try to hide the sarcasm that painted his words. The mockery was so obvious and that only made the green haired man angrier._ _

__"Are you planning to play a joke on Captain Vangeance?" Alecdora questioned, trying to remain immutable before the Black Bull's grimace. He found it hard to admit it but he knew that if he used his magic against Yami Sukehiro, the disappointed look of his captain would haunt him for the rest of his days._ _

__Even so, that didn't stop him from facing the other captain to at least make him see that he wasn't going to let him do whatever he wanted._ _

__Not in his own base._ _

__"Don't think that just because you are a captain I respect you." Alecdora grunted. "Maybe the others are too naive to see it, but I know that anything that comes from you has to be taken with caution." He'd heard it all. From the strange request to Letoile and David, to the small meeting the captain had with his comrades._ _

__Yami's crooked smile turned completely around as he listened to the other's words. Really, dealing with this one was going to be more tiresome than he thought._ _

__"Listen, I've been having my brain broken all the damn day. Don't think ya' can just come out of nowhere and tell me what to do without having' to deal with the consequences." It took what little patience he had to control his actions._ _

__Yami had no idea why but Alecdora always seemed reluctant to interact with him even just for official business. However, because he was so close to William, he'd still meet Yami when he arrived at the base for a talk with the captain, or when they had to share a mission with the Black Bulls. He never bothered to hide his lack of simpathy for the foreigner and only spoke to him when necessary or if William asked him to.  
_ _

__"...he." Suddenly he heard the voice of the green haired man. Yami was surprised to see him standing still with his eyes lowered, even after what he'd told him. He expected at least an attempt to attack him or something like that._ _

__"What did ya' say?"_ _

__The other's gaze, though directed downward, narrowed at the thought that the captain of the Black Bulls was just teasing him, "Are you pretending not to listen to me? I told you that I suspect that you and I share the same kind of feeling towards him." He said, clenching both of his fists with a little too much force._ _

__Wait a moment._ _

__What?_ _

__"Hey, hey, hey. Don't put me in the same sack as ya', Sandman." Yami answered with a laugh and raising both hands in front of him. "I do let Vangeance breathe, ya're obsessed with him._ _

__Immediately one of the fists that Alecdora was clenching hit the trunk of the tree that previously served as his hiding place, causing it to shake and let some of it's leaves fall._ _

__"You know perfectly what I mean, Sukehiro."_ _

__Yami's face became serious again._ _

__"Ya' talk as if ya' know everything about me. The only reason I haven't beaten ya' up is because I know how much he values your ass."_ _

__"You're the one who doesn't know anything about..."_ _

__In matter of seconds, his words were cut off by a strong arm that hit him against the trunk, making it difficult for him to breathe and preventing him from escaping._ _

__"Ya' feel you have the right to speak for him as if he belongs to ya'." He'd left him no other choice, he didn't really wanted to cause trouble at the The Golden Dawn's base, but it was impossible when all Alecdora did was touch his weak points. "Ya' say you and I feel the same way about him, but to me yours is just a selfish whim."_ _

__"T-that's not true..." The green-haired man's voice sounded hoarse and in between cuts, his hand tried to pull Yami's arm off but his efforts didn't seem to bear fruits._ _

__Finally, Yami let go of the other's throat and turned his back on him. For his part, Alecdora had fallen into the ground because of the fatigue caused by the difficulty in breathing._ _

__"Then..." The green haired coughed. "...you admit that what I said is true." Although the only thing that he could see of the foreigner was his back, he sensed the thoughtful way he smoked the cigarette he'd held in his mouth until now._ _

__

__"...Perhaps you are right."_ _

__Alecdora couldn't expect more from a brute like the captain of the Black Bulls, not when it came something like this._ _

__How could someone as sensitive as Captain Vangeance be so fond of him? He would never understand._ _

__After a few tense moments Yami turned to look at him and held out his hand to help him up._ _

__"Listen, just do your thing and I'll do mine. If we can agree on anythin', it's that we don't want to see him suffer. ”_ _

__Alecdora was not going to openly admit it, but it was true._ _

__Grunting, he ignored the hand that was held out to him and stood up on his own._ _

__"I don't need your pity." He said, wiping the dust from his robe. "But if what you say is true, then keep your word and don't hurt him."_ _

__Yami smiled honestly for the first time since they had begun their eccentric interaction._ _

__"Ya' don't have to tell me that."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for doing that to Alecdora but man, Yami just wanted to get back to his base. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Chapter 3 will be up next Friday ✿


	3. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry for the delay! I had an exam this week and my mind went into zombie mode _:(´-`」 ∠):_
> 
> This chapter features the Black Bulls, Julius and Yami struggling with emotions.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! ☆ ~

It had been another day of failure for Finral. 

One rejection after another from the girls he was trying to flirt with had finally led him to change his goal, so he decided to buy the Christmas presents he'd planned to get the next day for the Black Bulls. This would be the first year that Asta and Noelle would celebrate with them and he couldn't help but anticipate it with excitement; spending December 24th night eating and drinking until they were filled and waking up the next morning to exchange gifts. 

He'd never admit it in front of them, but the best part of receiving a gift from his friends was that anything could come out of those mysterious boxes and wrapped objects. It was usually Luck who gave the weirdest things and, surprisingly, Gordon was the one who understood everyones's tastes very well. Most of times money wasn't enough to buy expensive gifts in the capital but they always managed to let their creativity flow and thus, the gifts turned out to be pretty unpredictable. 

Thinking about all of this made the brown-haired smile. 

His shopping adventures had been quick since there still remained a couple of hours before the sun went down completely, but he was already back at the base. He was carrying a large bag full of objects and sweets just as diverse as the different personalities of the Black Bulls. 

"Welcome back, Finral!" Vanessa's voice greeted him as soon as he entered the room. The girl was lying, as usual, on one of the couches in the main room, holding a bottle of liquor. "Whatcha got there?" 

"Hello, Vanessa!" The boy smiled as he closed the door behind him. "I can't tell you. You see, it's a secret..."

"Are those our gifts?" Vanessa stood up, excited and wobbly. "Can I have a quick look? Please!" 

Finral pulled his bag away from the girl's hands even though she could barely keep her balance while sitting. "Of course not! You'll have to wait until Christmas." He answered firmly, although it was hard to say no to her puppy dog eyes. 

He might have ended up succumbing if it hadn't been for the sound of the door opening again, with the difference that this time the person who came in had decided to use all of the air that his lungs could give him. 

"I'M BACK!" Magna's thunderous voice hurt the eardrums of both magicians even before the guy went completely in. He always complained about Asta's screams but at the same time he seemed to want to compete for the position of the Black Bulls' noisiest member. 

"Tone it down! My head hurts!" Vanessa had covered her ears with her hands but the volume of her voice didn't seem to be that much different from Magna's.

"Please stop screaming, both of you!" Finral yelled, joining in the noise. He had to match them in volume or they'd never hear him. 

"Shut up or I'll kill you!" The all too familiar voice of someone approached from one of the rooms in the corridor. 

Everyone turned to look at each other in confusion. They had assumed that the only other person in the base, besides themselves, was Charmy who had taken the day off to stay and prepare all the food for the next night. 

"Was that Captain Yami?" Magna asked. 

"How long has he been back?" Finral added. 

"I don't know, I think I was unconscious when that happened."

"Vanessa..." The brown-haired mage was completely confused. Usually the captain would enter the base kicking the door and screaming, which ended up in Vanessa waking up from her trance. 

"How drunk did you have to be not to notice?"

"Excuse me? Can you repeat that, you virgin delinquent?"

Oh god, not again.

"Come on, come on. There's no need to argue." Finral stepped in. "Maybe he had an urgent call from... uh, the bathroom." 

Magna nodded his head with energy. "Of course! This is Mr. Yami we are talking about, he probably stayed in there all day." 

Both Magna and Vanessa started laughing at the former's joke, but Finral only managed to dissimulate a smile. They didn't know about how Yami had asked him with a very terrifying look to teleport him to the Golden Dawn's base. It was possible that the reason he'd been so silent until now was because what had been distracting him was still planted in his mind. 

Seriously, what the hell had he been doing there with such a scary face?

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Night had finally fallen and all the members were back.

It wasn't until after several hours that the captain decided to appear grimly in the main hall. 

"Captain Yami! You really took your time in the bathroom!" Magna laughed, approaching the older man while Asta followed in his footsteps as if he were his mother hen. 

"The bathroom is a serious matter, senpai!" The boy exclaimed.

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Noelle was watching everything from a distance. She still found it hard to get used to the atmosphere in the order of the Black Bulls because it was very different from what she was used to; she came from a place where, in order to stand out, you had to prove your value through magic power. 

With the Black Bulls, it always seemed that no one stood out because they were all so weird that they ended up canceling each other out. 

But reaching that conclusion had taken time in which she had to observe the behavior of her comrades, the reasons why they acted in one way or another, and the personal traits that put them in the word "improper" for society to judge them. 

Because of that, she instantly knew that something was off with the captain. It didn't seem like sadness or melancholy, or anything like that. The captain's expression and posture reminded her of Nozel when he stayed awake thinking up strategies for his missions. 

That was definitely the face of someone who was in the midst of a dilemma.

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Yami had returned to the base in hopes that his hours in the bathroom would shed light on the answer he'd been seeking for so long. But absolutely nothing happened. The brats were lucky they didn't try to bother him during those hours because they would've ended up flying in matter of seconds.

There was something strange about the bathroom that, instead of helping him come to such a simple decision, it had gotten him into a philosophical session. 

Or maybe it was his own fault for thinking about all the things that the Golden Dawn had proposed to him.

Yami had thought about images of William using each of the objects they'd listed, and then he imagined the captain eating the food they'd already prepared as a present. He had perfectly visualized the way in which that sincere smile that he missed so much returned to the masked man's features for a few moments when he saw what his order had done for him. 

And Yami felt jealous. 

He wanted to get closer to William, perhaps be more honest with his own emotions but he wasn't used to that. All this was new to him. Love was something he'd always seen as a cliché from romantic novels; of course he'd felt attracted to people on several occasions, but that feeling never had the chance to mix with his deepest emotions to the point of actually confusing him.

The dark mage didn't really want to dwell on it, because the more he did it, the more he was aware that he had no idea how to handle it. And in order not to further complicate the decision he was trying to make, he chose to focus solely on the goal for which all this chaos had started in the first place: to give William some peace of mind, even if it meant Yami had to keep breaking his head for a few more hours. 

William was suffering. 

"He looks completely worn out." 

_Yeah, I know. His ki has been feeling weird lately, that's why I've been doing all this shit in the first place._

"Noelle! He can hear you!"

Noelle?

Looks like he had let himself be carried away by his thoughts again. Coming to his senses, Yami found himself against many confused faces, some were worried and the rest seemed scared; even Gauche was paying attention. Maybe he shouldn't have kept it all to himself. 

"Brats." He started talking. Yami knew that the Black Bulls didn't have the best reputation among people, but they had levels of empathy far greater than any of those nobleman who boasted about fighting for justice. "If, uh... you wanted to give a gift to someone who is probably going through a bad time, what would ya' give em'? ” Even though he was always direct and didn't have time for sentimentality, Yami found it hard to be completely transparent about the subject in front of people with whom he felt the need to appear strong and impassive. He was their captain after all. 

Everyone looked at him for a long moment as if he had grown a third head. Of all the things they had anticipated hearing from their captain, that was what they least expected. However, they refrained from asking any further questions, which Yami thanked them for in silence.

"Food!"

"An invitation to drink!"

"A very cool looking baseball bat!"

"A date!"

"A battle date!"

"Why would they need a gift?"

"The best gift of all is friendship. If the person receiving the present holds you in high esteem, I am sure they will be happy with anything that comes from you, captain." Sadly, Gordon's voice went lost among everyone's yelling.

Yami turned to look at Asta, who had been strangely quiet since the question was thrown in. "What do ya' think, brat?" 

The boy seemed to be concentrating too much on what he would say, just like Yuno in the morning, but the face he was making looked rather funny. "Hmmm, maybe I would take them somewhere fun! Or give them some their favorite food, and then try to cheer them up with words of encouragement! And train together until we pass out!"

Of course Asta would do that. 

Yami smiled to himself actually expecting all those answers because of course he knew his kids very well. His real intention when asking them about it wasn't to get an answer like he expected with the Golden Dawn. He just wanted to listen to them. Perhaps it was too early to be completely honest about what was happening; not actually about the gift, but about what he had discovered about himself. It was reassuring to know that they wouldn't pressure or question him about it until he felt ready.

"Go to sleep, kiddos." Yami said, turning around in the direction that lead to his room. However, before he began to walk, Yami moved his head slightly to show them a smile. "And thank you." He finished, resuming his path to the land of dreams with a yawn.

He had to make an important visit the next morning. 

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For Yami, Julius Novachorno represented more than just an authority to be admired for his power. He was the father figure who had taken him in when he needed it the most, the person who'd accepted him and didn't discriminate him just because he was from another country, and also, the person who had convinced him to become a magic knight. 

At the same time, Julius was a point of connection between Yami and William. By sharing similar stories, both captains had a more personal bond with the Wizard King than the others and as a result, he knew them better than anyone else. 

Why hadn't Yami decided to go with him as a first option? There were two reasons for that:

Firstly, because he'd been busy talking with the very object of Yami's affections last morning.

And secondly, because he was Julius.

Having to go to the person with whom Yami was closest in the kingdom meant that Julius could see through him. Sooner or later he would've discovered something that even the dark mage didn't know about himself and surely Julius would do his very best to act on it to see them happy.  
If Yami had discovered what he felt through Julius and not through Alecdora, he might have spent the rest of the previous day locked in a room with William. 

But now he was left with no options. 

"So, Yami, you say you are looking for a gift that will convey to William the message you want to give him." The Wizard King began. "But what is exactly that message?

The captain really hoped he wouldn't have to answer that. 

"It's not like I want to recite a poem or anythin'. " He said, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "But it doesn't sit right with me that he has to end his birthday with that tight smile he's been showing lately. “

Julius smiled tenderly and nodded his head in understanding. 

"I see. You're worried he might be suffering from something."

Yami's eyes landed on objects that weren't Julius' gaze. 

"I guess that's the way it is."

The older man laughed at the way the captain tried to hide his emotions. To him, the fact that Yami wanted to do something like this for William was worth a lot since it spoke about an aspect that the dark wizard used to struggle with first time he'd met him. On the other hand, knowing that William had someone who cared about him and could understand him because of the parallelism in their stories filled him with joy. 

"Hmm... and I guess you've ruled out enough ideas so far." 

Yami whined as he remembered everything he'd had to give up because nothing seemed to fit on his stupid idea for the perfect gift. 

"Yesterday was a long day."

Julius stroked his own chin, deep in thought. "How about something from your country?"

"All I could think of was a bonsai, but that's the last thing Mr. "I can create all the trees I want whenever I want" needs right now." The captain answered with a laugh, already waiting for the next question the Wizard King would ask. 

But it was a question that never came.

"Your answer has always been there, Yami."

The eyes of the aforementioned opened like plates. 

"You're not talking about the bonsai, are ya' ?" 

Julius' eyes started glowing as they always did whenever something excited him very much, with his fists in front of him and his shoulders slightly raised, trying to contain all the things he wanted to say. 

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed. "Look at it this way: the tree represents William but it's origin represents you. It's as if the two of you had a chil-"

"Sir Julius, you're going to be late for the meeting!" Marx's voice resonated through the closed door of the room, interrupting the Wizard King's last words, although Yami knew perfectly well what he was going to say. He would have laughed until his stomach hurt under normal circumstances, but in this case he was sure of just one thing: that Julius wouldn't let him live in peace from now on. 

"Give me a few minutes, Marx!" The older man answered and then looked back at Yami. "Remember who is the person you are giving the gift to, do you really think something that symbolic wouldn't mean anything to him?"

Yami couldn't help but remember the day when both the Black Bulls and the Golden Dawn had been founded. 

"I guess you're right about that." He smiled . "Vangeance's always been a corny guy."

Now the rest was up to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter will be up in two weeks, since it's the last one and it will connect everything that has happened in the story so far ✿ (And also William will finally appear lol) 
> 
> EDIT (06/12/2020): The last chapter had to be delayed for school matters, but I'll be updating soon.
> 
> Thank you for reading! 😊


	4. Interwined

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you're doing well.   
> I'm really sorry for the very long hiatus, some things happened but fortunately I can come back to write more! Thank you for your patience and your support (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ
> 
> Here's the last chapter finally, I hope you enjoy it! ★

December 24th.

After a thunderous night of celebration and feasting - courtesy of Charmy - with the Black Bulls, Yami finally came face to face with the Golden Dawn base again. This time, however, his entrance would be different. At the rear of the base a huge tree stood on the outskirts of the building, its branches lightly brushing against the wall that marked the separation between inside and outside; it seemed to be part of the vegetation that had sprung from nature itself, but Yami knew better than that. In reality, that tree had been created by the captain of the Golden Dawn himself a few years ago, and it’s reason of being was only to allow a certain swordsman to sneak into his room without having to go through the main entrance. Usually the thick branches of the tree made it impossible to pass from the outside to the vicinity, but it was only necessary for it’s creator to cast a small spell to move them out of the way and build a bridge with them. Yami knew how to detect when these branches obstructed the entrance and when they didn’t; this was one of the occasions when the passage was open. William was waiting for him. 

Unconsciously, his large hands tightened their grip on the pot that held the gift: a small azalea bonsai whose pink flowers were so colorful that they could give away Yami’s position in the middle of the night. At least none of the Black Bulls had caught him leaving the base carrying such an object or it would’ve been too much trouble. 

Letting out a last sigh, he finally decided to start climbing the tree that welcomed him; he placed the small bonsai between one of his arms and jumped from branch to branch like a ladder. When he reached his destination, the now familiar window of William's room greeted him as it did every year. He knocked a couple of times on the glass with his knuckles and hurried to hide the gift behind his huge back. William still took a while to answer, and Yami came to think that perhaps the masked captain had fallen asleep judging by the unusually dimmed light; but his doubts vanished when William's figure and his striking mask came into view amidst all the darkness.

"Should I call the guards?" the owner of the room joked, opening the window and moving a few steps back so that his guest could enter without much trouble. 

"They're sleeping in the middle of work, I saw em’ myself." Yami replied, doing his best to keep the bonsai out of sight. He was sure that if he was careless, William would notice what he was carrying behind him and the scenario he’d set up in his head would be ruined; for an instant he cursed the moment when his past self had thought of choosing such a bright color for the flowers.

_Though it turned out to be just as extravagant as it’s future owner._ He thought. 

"Sorry to greet you with my room darkened, Yami. Some of the kids insisted that I should take the opportunity to sleep early." William began explaining as he approached his desk; at least with that flashy mask on and the little light coming from the moon it was possible to make out what he was doing. "I didn't mean to let them down, I know they're watching out for my health, but... I still needed to wait for you."

Yami understood what his words implied: William had decided to keep his room dark so that from the other side of the door it’d look like he was resting, like a child who’s sent to bed early but stays up playing in the middle of the night anyway. Laughter gradually came over him at the thought of that comparison, and he had no choice but to try to hide it in case someone from the adjoining rooms could hear him. 

"I've turned ya’ into quite the rebel, now that's a Christmas miracle." 

"Oh?" William replied in amusement as he grabbed something from his desk. The table seemed to be oddly cluttered judging by the mountain of things resting on it, though Yami couldn't identify what each one of them was from the distance he was standing. "In that case, we might be even if you help me finish these cookies." 

As the swordsman approached where the other captain was standing, the objects piled one on top of the other gradually took their shape: a small painting portraying what appeared to be a family of birds in their nest, a book with the illustration of a huge sunflower on the cover, and next to it, a bunch of writing pens that were doing their best not to explode and fly away as they were all held together by a ribbon. However, the things that took up most of the space were a thick blanket, neatly folded, and a star-shaped pillow resting on top of it. 

Yami smiled to himself, knowing perfectly well what the origin of those objects was. Though he didn't recall anyone ever mentioning a bag of cookies like the one the captain held in his hands. 

"Langris likes to bake cookies." Said the masked man, as if he’d read his mind. "He was denying it all day long, but ended up accepting it until a few hours ago." He ended with a small laugh. 

_Even the meanest demon has a heart._ Was Yami's first thought. 

"It's rare for everyone to look this excited." William went on, which took the swordsman a little by surprise. It wasn't that usual to hear him being so open with his own thoughts since sometimes Yami himself had to guess what the other was thinking given the absence of facial expressions and direct words. 

In those moments, however, William’s eyes were shining with tenderness as he remembered what he had experienced during the day; Yami had to suppress the urge to remove his mask so he could enjoy in all its splendor that mix of warm gaze and sweet smile that he had missed so much. No one could blame him though, after all, that had been his main motive for making all the fuss he had already made. 

But something still didn't add up. 

William was talking as if that had been the last time he celebrated his birthday with his order; perhaps the last celebration in general. Yami had no idea what was going on, if perhaps the other captain was hiding some kind of disease or if he’d made an enemy out of someone dangerous and should flee; but he wouldn't question him if it made him suffer more. At least for now, Yami could try to convey to William what he’d been thinking and feeling for the past few months. 

"William." The use of his first name startled the mentioned one. 

Making sure he had the other's attention, Yami brought forward the object he’d tried so cautiosly to hide; for an instant William's eyes seemed confused at the sudden presence of the small pink bonsai, but gradually that confusion was replaced by surprise as he realized what its presence meant. 

"Yami-" he’d started saying, but the other captain placed his free hand in front to stop him from talking. 

"Don't say anything yet, Vangeance. This is... uh..." But Yami felt the words getting stuck in his throat. What was one supposed to say when giving such emotionally charged gifts? What face was he supposed to make? Was he supposed to joke so as not to make the atmosphere awkward? Or was he supposed to recite a whole speech so the situation wouldn't seem like a joke? Yami wished his emotions and thoughts could take physical form so he could punch them out instead of having to deal with them in his head. So simple it had been to choose and deliver gifts to the person in front of him for the past few years. Stupid emotions. 

"Listen, I know you're practically the Lord of the Trees and maybe one this small doesn't seem like a big deal, but... this is a type of tree that comes from my country and I thought it might interest you." He paused for a few seconds before smiling teasingly. " It's like having your own little pet tree."

He expected one of the other captain's typical chuckles in response to his words, or at least an "Oh boy, well I'll put it with the rest." but instead, William just remained silent with his gaze glued to the bonsai, as if all this time the little tree’d had the ability to petrify anyone who rested their eyes upon it.

"I can teach ya’ how to take care of it, these little guys need some special treats in order to stay healthy." Yami rambled in an attempt to fill the silence that’d been created. The dim lighting and the mask made it difficult to decipher what was going through the other's mind, and the longer the pause stretched out the more Yami was sure it had all been a failure. Seriously, why where these kind of emotions so frigging difficult? 

But as he dialogued with himself and recalled all that he’d pondered the night before in the bathroom, a pair of gentle hands slowly and hesitantly came to rest on his own, so that they both ended up holding the bonsai. 

"Hm?"

"Thank you..." William began saying in a tone of voice that was very close to a whisper. He’d lowered his gaze back down to the small tree, watching it as a mother would her newborn, beaming, while his thumbs caressed the swordsman's hands affectionately. Yami couldn't help but mimic the joyful expression of which he was a spectator, though his smile probably looked goofy in comparison; but that didn’t matter anyway, after all, his gift had been the right choice and he felt accomplished. 

Yes, that was the stupidly handsome face that so fulfilled him; Vangeance's smile was everything that was right in the world. 

Besides sake, of course. 

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1 o'clock in the morning. It wasn't even December 24 anymore. 

Yami had stayed longer than usual on his annual visits to William. Of course his reasons had nothing to do with the captain who was using his chest as a pillow, nor did they have anything to do with the strange warmth he felt despite being in the middle of winter.  
A slight sigh from his rival made his arm hairs stand on end, snapping him out of his trance abruptly. Even with the apparently uncomfortable mask on, William had managed to settle into his sturdy arms after both had decided to pass the time lying on the host's bed. It seemed that William really was tired after all. 

"Are ya’ comfortable, Goldie? I can become your personal pillow if ya’ pay me by the hour." Yami whispered as he played with the small stuffed balls that adorned the other captain's mask. It didn't take long to feel the vibrations in William's body caused by the giggle he let out. 

"I don't think so, Klaus would be disappointed that I have no use for the pillow he gave me." William replied, while he gently caressed the other's chest with his fingers. It seemed to be a common way for him to express his affection; Yami would have to take note on that, because he wanted to feel more of those tender touches in the future. 

"If I had known ya’ were a fan of my pecs I'd have slept over all the years I didn't." 

Suddenly William's hand stopped, as if the Bull's words had had a strange effect on him. 

"Yami." He said earnestly, and the named feared he'd crossed the line because of the seriousness with which his name was spoken. 

But William didn't pull away, instead, he was settling back on his personal "pillow" so that he was now facing him. 

"I'm grateful for everything you've done for me." 

Yami blinked a couple of times, slightly disoriented. "Where did that come from, Goldie? It's just a little tree, ya’ know..."

But the other immediately shook his head. 

"Someone told me what you came to do at our base yesterday." He explained trying to keep his voice level to a whisper. Yami immediately tried to guess who had been the masochist that wanted to see themselves dead the next day for telling Vangeance; his bet was on the blonde guy with the dices.

However, the irritation vanished as fast as it came when he realized that William was practically stradling him now; those beautiful -and surprisingly strong- legs taking captive his own.

"You're always impulsive and stubborn..." The masked man continued, placing one of his hands on the swordsman's cheek and slowly moving closer towards the other's face. The more boldness that was noticeable in Vangeance's movements and words, the more desperate Yami felt to touch and taste him. That mysterious but confident attitude was very similar to the one William always had when he was on the battlefield, and Yami'd be lying if he said that didn't turn him on.

"Can I...?" William asked, his gaze resting now on Yami's lips. Instead of giving a verbal answer, Yami responded by placing one of his hands on William's neck, drawing him closer with a little too much energy, and thus, earning a surprised yelp from the other. 

The swordsman had too pull back at the sound to see if the other was okay. 

" 'm sorry, I think my body reacted before I could say somethin'." He explained. "But Gods, that was hot as fuck, Goldie." 

"I'm as eager as you." William replied, now driving his hand towards Yami's black hair. "But let's take it more slowly now, ok?" He asked, placing a little peck on Yami's cheek to assure him that it was okay. 

Even if Yami liked things to go faster and directly to the point, with William he wanted to be as gentle as possible. Maybe it was because of what William was hiding that seemed to put them in time limit, but the dark mage felt like he had to live this as much as he could. So this time he let William be the one to settle his lips on his own, in a light contact very characteristic of someone so gentle, but slowly gaining confidence to start moving. There was something about his tender touches and those half-lidded eyes that made Yami want to savor every single part of him. 

Both let the time pass between those kisses in the darkness, while the rest of the Golden Dawn believed their captain sleeping innocently in his bed. That night would end up becoming a secret that only the two of them would share from then on. 

But what Yami didn't know was that the longer they dragged out that emotional exchange, the more William's heart suffered.

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Alecdora had realized that Yami Sukehiro's feelings towards William Vangeance were similar to his own. The way he looked at William every time they met, the way he tried to initiate physical contact with him while joking to get his attention, or the stupid grin he put on when they were assigned some mission together. But it gave the impression that the Bull was unaware of his own feelings; perhaps Alecdora noticed it because he could identify with the signals that the swordsman displayed.  
Still, despite the irritation that this caused him at times, Alecdora didn't think much of it because of how little the two captains frequented each other. Not until he began to notice that his captain responded to the provocations and jokes, and in general to the dark mage's presence, with affectionate looks and words he would never have imagined hearing from him. He noticed him less formal and more open, more comfortable.  
His limit was finally crossed the day he saw William giving a bottle of sake, decorated with a tie, to Sukehiro. It was obviously a gift, and the worst part was that those situations kept on occurring during the following years for no apparent reason. The bright look that William had when giving such details always hurt more than Yami's arrogant attitude.  
For that reason, when he spotted the swordsman entering the Golden Dawn base while William was away, he suspected something. 

Perhaps he was blinded by the jealousy he had built up all this time, but the moment he noticed that the cheeky Sukehiro was calling his friends to "ask for advice" on a gift for William, his heart finally exploded. 

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The festivities at the Black Bulls' base were over. 

Finral was seated in front of the table where the food had once existed before being devoured by all; now most of the Black Bulls resided asleep on the couches or sprawled on the floor. 

"Finral?" Noelle's voice was heard coming from the hallways. The girl had gone to bed earlier than anyone else, possibly because she was used to having strict sleep schedules. 

"Ah, Noelle! I'd like to say it's a pleasant surprise to see you awake, but isn't it too late? Did something wake you up?" The brown-haired man gave her a smile.

She let out an exhausted sigh and nodded. 

"I heard the captain cursing outside the base from my window, and then I saw him flying away on his broom with something in his arms." She explained with a slightly irritated expression. "To be honest, he reminded me of some kind of scary Santa Claus..."

Finral took the opportunity to laugh while Yami wasn't around to see it.  
"The captain always disappears at this time every year." He explained. 

"Did someone say Santa Claus?" Asta's sleepy voice could be heard. The boy was slowly resurfacing from the ground as he rubbed one of his eyes. 

But there wasn't enough time to answer him, as suddenly the entrance to the base opened, revealing a tall, serious figure. 

Gauche used to leave early from celebrations with the Black Bulls to go visit his sister and leave her a gift, so he usually returned during the early morning hours.

"Hi, Gauche-senpai! How did it go?" Asta greeted him.

The named one gave him an irritated look. "Don't yell, I heard you." He replied, making his way down the corridors to head to his room. "...Of course it went well for me, everything goes well when it comes to Marie."

Finral, used to his companion's odd manner by now, called the little exchange to a close and returned his attention to Noelle. 

"Anyway. Don't worry about the captain, Noelle. He's probably off to gamble at some bar betting the first thing that he came across." 

"He went to the Golden Dawn." Gauche interrupted, provoking a startled jolt of surprise from Finral. 

"He went to where?!" 

"Whenever I come back from visiting Marie, I see him flying off to that direction."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?!"

"I don't have to, and you guys never asked." 

Finral planned on continuing sharing his complains to the other, but something in his mind stopped him. Some sort of puzzle he didn't know had been building ever since he started noticing his captain's mysterious annual departures, the key piece being the strange attitude he'd been displaying over the past few days.  
He remembered Yami’s behavior when he'd asked him to take him to the Golden Dawn base, the question Yami had asked them the day before about giving someone a gift, and most of all his expression as he waited for a response. A mixture of doubt and tension.

"AH! THAT'S IT!" he shouted so suddenly that he feared for his life during the next second. What if he aroused the rage of those who were still sleeping? 

"HUH? WHAT IS IT?" Asta questioned just as excited as his companion. 

"Stop shouting!" Gauche scolded them, his figure already missing in the corridors. 

"What's what?" Noelle asked, trying to hide her curiosity. 

Finral tried to hide the emotion that was settling in his body, he felt like explaining everything at once but he knew that he had to tell all the details from the beginning, since he was dealing with the youngest members. So as a good veteran, Finral politely invited them to take a seat in the only remaining sofa available, while he stood in front of them holding a certain air of pride. 

"All right guys, don't go yelling at what I'm about to tell you, but I think..."

The eyes of the juniors grew wider and wider in anticipation.

"...our captain's in love!"

"WHAT?!" they screamed anyway.  
Finral was an expert when it came to romance -or so he told himself- how could he not have noticed it before?  
His captain was usually a supporter of action over words, and dealing with emotions, he was clearly not the best at expressing himself. Being one of the senior members, Finral already knew several of Yami's personality traits, and could identify when something seemed to be out of place with the swordsman.  
So, what happened when emotions were involved? Yami knew how to be a father figure when he wanted to, but the word romance didn't seem to be included in his emotional vocabulary.

Once or twice Finral had invited Yami to his many group dates with girls, and when he attended, he ended up scaring them away by being so intense and vulgar. The brown haired had already concluded that Yami was a hopeless case, that he wasn't serious about love and possibly wasn't interested in it.  
Not until now.  
"I'm sorry, senpai, but what does the Golden Dawn have to do with captain Yami being in love?" Asta asked. 

"Surprisingly, he has a point. I don't see the connection." Noelle commented, thoughtfully. 

"Ah! That's actually the most important part!" Finral exclaimed confidently. He loved to play the wise guy on these kinds of subjects. "Maybe you guys are too new to know, but one as an old member becomes aware of a lot of things when chaperoning during captains' meetings." 

"Captain's meetings?" Noelle questioned somewhat confused. 

"The Wizard King's assistant talks too much every time a meeting is called, there's always time to analyze the interactions between the captains." 

It seemed to take the Silva only a few seconds to hit the mark. "It's the Golden Dawn's captain, right?" 

"WHAT!" Asta screamed, even more disoriented than before. 

"Bingo, Noelle! 

"Captain Vangeance?" If it were possible, Asta's shocked eyes would have covered more than half of his face. "B-but how?" 

"Asta, Asta, Asta. You're still too young to realize these things." Finral smiled while patting the younger man's head.

"Does that mean that the captain went to see him now?" 

"Scruffy like that?" the girl added. 

"Well, I really can't imagine Captain Yami being the type to dress up to see his crush. Remember the question he asked us yesterday with that weird expression? He isn't someone who looks like the most romantic man in the Kingdom, is he?"

The image of Yami dressed tidly in a black suit, hair perfectly styled with gel, and holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands caused them to feel shivers running through their bodies. 

"We can only hope that everything went well or we'll be the ones that suffer the captain's wrath." Finral concluded.

Asta and Noelle nodded in fear. 

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When Julius saw Yami and William interacting for the first time he knew there was a special connection between the two. 

Many times he felt that one of his jobs in this life had been to bring them together, to be the connecting point that made them meet again and again. While he was initially unsure of the nature of that bond, Julius knew that he’d gradually uncover it as he witnessed their evolution.  
He soon learned from Yami that they’d declared themselves rivals just the day they met. It was admirable how both kept parallel in power and position, to the point of becoming vice-captains at the same time, and later, captains of two new orders. It seemed like life created them as a package but ended up sending both to different directions of the world. Even if in the eyes of society, the Golden Dawn and the Black Bulls were complete opposites, they were actually the two strongest orders in the kingdom. 

The Wizard King knew their stories; both had been discriminated against in the kingdom, cast aside for unfair reasons beyond their control. And despite having developed completely different personalities, it seemed that they belonged to different sides of the same coin. Julius knew that they detected those similarities themselves without needing to say it out loud. 

It was because of all that that seeing Yami at his door precisely on William's birthday, with a debated face, didn’t get Julius by surprise. 

Julius already had a suspicion about the direction that their affection towards each other was taking, and Yami ended up confirming it. Julius knew him, and he knew he wasn't the detailist type, which explained the funny way he tried to hide his embarrassment as he asked for advice. And there was also the intense look Yami had while talking about William, that slight blush he’d shown in reaction to Julius’ joke about the bonsai being their son. It was honestly adorable and a little funny. 

However, just like Yami, Julius had noticed that something was wrong with the masked captain. He just hoped that whatever was going on with William, it wouldn't end up affecting the bond he and Yami had built over the years.  


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 _"He always does the same thing, why do you let him come into your room like that, William?"_ Patry had complained in William’s mind one year before, after Yami had departed back to his base. 

"Because I like his company." The masked man replied.  
That statement came as no surprise to either William or Patry. They both knew perfectly well what kind of feelings the former had for the captain of the Black Bulls; it had taken him a couple of years to realize and accept them, but he had no regrets. The feelings he had every time he spent time with Yami, even if it was just a small exchange of teasing and teasing, were those of happiness and warmness. 

Patry knew he couldn't control what his friend felt, even if they shared the same body. He knew that William was going to suffer because of it in the future, and he had already decided that he couldn’t take sides. Patry felt how little by little the encounters with Yami Sukehiro were transforming as time went by, sensing how William's emotions of pure happiness started taking the form of bittersweet feelings. 

Was it really okay to put him through that? 

William would tell him that it wasn't his fault, that one thing and the other were unrelated to each other, but sometimes Patry wished his friend hadn't fallen in love with the Black Bull, because that was only going to cause him more suffering. 

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A year had passed. The war against the elves was over.  
Patry had been separated from his body, and William was still not used to living with himself since then.  
He remembered how precisely one year earlier Yami Sukehiro had appeared at his window, evidently trying to hide something behind his back, with a pure look of embarrasment. 

A smile came to his face, even though inside, his whole body was a wave of sadness and gloom. 

The only thing William would have left as a memory of that night was the little bonsai he’d cared for so much ever since. He’d accepted that now Yami wouldn’t want nothing to do with him, and it seemed only fair. William hadn't been the only one who had suffered, after all. 

He only wished they could have had a little more time.

Standing up from his chair, and putting aside his mask, William prepared for sleep, it wasn’t like he had something or someone to wait for at that hour. 

That had been his conclusion until his senses gradually perceived a very familiar mana energy approaching, ending its journey in the form of two knocks on the glass of his window. As soon as he turned his gaze towards the source of the sound, he immediately felt his emotions threaten to boil over. 

From behind the branches that covered the entrance, Yami's face was glimpsed with an indescribable expression. 

William hesitated a few seconds before moving the branches out of the way, but even with the path open, the swordsman remained in place without saying or doing anything. He just stared at him, scrutinizing his figure as if trying to find something. William immediately assumed the most rational thing he could think of, believing that the other captain had come to fight him. 

"Hey." Yami finally spoke, deadpanned, but it still took him a few seconds to continue. "I came to make sure that ya’ didn't escape" He said, and Wiliam didn't know if he should interpret that as a joke or as a threat. 

He decided to turn away so he wouldn't have to keep seeing the other's face. He would rather have to fight Yami a thousand times than hear the inevitable words of hatred that would come from his lips. The lips that exactly one year ago had been the source of all his happiness. 

"Don't worry. I won't, I promised the Wizard King." William answered without turning his gaze. 

Silence. 

"In that case..." The swordsman’s deep voice began. "I can go in as if it were any other December 24th."

At those words, William's crestfallen head snapped up. 

"I don't understand." 

"Listen..." Yami said. "A part of me feels that I can't forgive ya’, what happened that day was... something I'll never forget."

And he had every reason not to. 

"But I also can't forget how ya’ made me… feel before it all went to shit." 

A painful lump was working its way into William’s throat.

Those words hurt like a dagger driven through his heart, and yet they carried with them a small fragment of hope that William wasn't going to let go of for anything in the world. 

"...what you still make me feel."

And that was the trigger that ended up unleashing his tears. 

As if he’d been meant to react to William's actions, as soon as the first sob was heard amidst the heavy tension, Yami started walking towards him. 

"Julius gave you another chance." The dark mage reminded him. "I want ya’ to tell me something, Vangeance."

The closer Yami's presence was felt, the more William's body trembled, preventing him from articulating even a word.  
The fact that Yami was willing to give him another chance, not just as an ally but as... that relationship they were trying to create, sent a tumult of reactions throughout every part of him. The tears seemed endless and the weight of the situation was beginning to make him nauseous.  
As William tried to maintain his composure, he felt a pair of strong arms hesitantly embracing him from behind. Soon, Yami's chin landed on his shoulder. 

"Do we continue with the chaos we created, or do we pretend none of that ever happened? 

William felt the other man's lips moving on his neck as he spoke. He felt grateful and damned at the same time for not having his mask on, as he could now feel the contact of Yami’s face with his own.

But he had to give him an answer. Accept this opportunity that he didn't feel deserving of, but wanted so badly to take no matter what. 

"I know..." The words began to come out broken from his tense lips. " I know it won't be the same as before. But... " William was unable to keep in the way his chest heaved from the crying. "But if you're willing to give me that chance, Yami…" He turned his head towards the place where the other leaned back, so that their foreheads briefly touched and their gazes met closer than they ever had. "I promise I'll be honest with you this time... with everyone..."  
Yami, despite keeping silent, pressed the other captain's body even tighter to his as soon as he felt the anxiety manifest in his body, and started placing small kisses to his neck.

"Idiot, stupid, moron." He said with each touch of lips on skin, his voice sounding strangely serious. "Ya’ could have talked to us...to me." Yami began to move up towards William's face, now depositing kisses on his cheek and chin, over the tears that wouldn't stop falling. 

Gradually William calmed his sobs, at the same time as the other's kisses slowed their pace. Feeling him calmer, the swordsman finally decided to leave his initial posture and turned the other around to look him directly in the face. 

William feared to witness whatever was reflected in Yami's gaze now, but found only exhaustion in them. Surely Yami had spent very bad days with his own conscience after all that had happened. 

William opened his mouth to apologize again.

"Don't say it." The swordsman interrumpted without taking his eyes off him. It seemed that Yami had been waiting to look at him like that, judging by the desperate way his eyes were moving across every part of him. Yami then proceeded to place one of his hands on William’s cheek, and began caressing a portion of the area where the scar had claimed territory on his face. "I feel like fucking kissing ya’ right now." 

Feeling brave, William rested his own hand over the one Yami had on his face, and closed his eyes.

"I promise I won't go anywhere. My life is now completely devoted to the Clover Kingdom" He finished with a smile, something that apparently caught the other off guard, whose face began to blush. 

"Of course ya’ won't, I'll be watching you more carefully this time." Pulling his face closer, Yami paused for a moment before their lips touched. "Don't think I'm going to let our son the bonsai be without one of his parents. 

And before William could react to the other’s last words, their lips sealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading this story, for your kudos and your comments!!❤


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